Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him in person in Türkiye on Thursday, in a major step in U.S.-led peace efforts. This call is considered the final step in the weekend-long exchange of proposals between both sides.
Zelensky expressed hope that a ceasefire with Russia would be reached as of Monday, and said he would “personally” wait for Putin in Türkiye, following US President Donald Trump’s insistence that Ukraine accept Russia’s latest offer. Ukraine and its European allies had demanded that Russia accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire from Monday before starting negotiations, but Moscow rejected that offer and called for direct talks.
It is not clear whether Zelensky linked his presence in Türkiye to Monday’s ceasefire, and the Kremlin has not yet said whether Putin will respond to the call. In 2022, during the early months of the war, Zelensky repeatedly called for personal talks with Putin, but those calls were rejected, and Zelensky eventually declared that negotiations with Putin had become impossible.
“We expect a full and permanent ceasefire from tomorrow to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said on the X platform on Sunday. "There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will wait for Putin on Thursday (in Türkiye). Personally. I hope this time the Russians will not look for excuses," he said.
Trump, on social media early Sunday, said Ukraine should accept Putin’s offer of peace talks “IMMEDIATELY.” “At least they will be able to determine if a deal is possible and if not, European leaders and the United States will know where everything stands and can move forward accordingly!” he wrote, calling for “MEETING NOW!!!”
Ceasefire Request and the West's Attitude
French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with Zelensky in Kiev on Saturday to make a coordinated call for a 30-day ceasefire starting Monday. The plan has won support from both the European Union and Trump, who have vowed tougher sanctions on Russia if Putin does not accept the offer.
Putin, however, rejected the offer in a statement to the media last night, proposing that direct talks with Ukraine resume in Istanbul on Thursday “without preconditions.” Putin did not say whether the talks on Thursday would involve Zelensky and himself in person. Putin said a ceasefire could be reached during the talks, and stressed that the Kremlin needed a ceasefire that would lead to a “lasting peace,” rather than one that would allow Ukraine to rearm and add more men to its armed forces.
Zelenskyy said on Sunday morning on X that Putin’s offer was “a positive sign that the Russians are finally starting to think about ending the war,” but insisted on a ceasefire first. Putin and Zelenskyy have met only once, in 2019. After repeated unsuccessful calls for face-to-face talks with the Russian leader early in the war and after the Kremlin’s decision to illegally annex four regions of Ukraine in September 2022, Zelenskyy issued a decree declaring negotiations with Putin impossible.
Macron said on Sunday that Putin’s offer of direct talks with Ukraine was “a first step, but it is not enough,” and indicated that the West remained skeptical of Moscow’s intentions. “An unconditional ceasefire does not precede negotiations,” Macron told reporters on the Polish-Ukrainian border, according to French media, adding that Putin was “looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time.”
Türkiye's Mediation Role and Next Steps
In comments broadcast on Russian state television on Sunday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described Putin's proposal as "very serious", saying it aimed to eliminate "the root causes of the conflict" and "confirmed a genuine intention to find a peaceful solution".
Without directly addressing Moscow’s offer, Trump tweeted a few hours after Putin’s comments last night: “Potentially a great day for Russia and Ukraine!” “Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never-ending ‘bloodbath’ hopefully comes to an end,” Trump wrote. “I will continue to work with both sides to make this happen. Instead, the United States wants to focus on Reconstruction and Trade. A BIG week is coming!”
In another tweet on Sunday, the US president said Ukraine should accept Putin’s offer to “meet in Türkiye on Thursday to negotiate a possible end to the BLOOD BALLOON.” However, he added that he was “beginning to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin.”
Putin met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday, and Erdoğan expressed his readiness to host the talks, according to a statement from the Kremlin. The Kremlin said in a statement regarding the phone call that Erdogan "fully supports Russia's proposal" and is ready to provide a platform for talks and help organize them. In a separate phone call with Macron on Sunday, Erdogan said a “historic turning point” had been reached in efforts to end the war, according to a statement from the Turkish Presidential Communications Office.
Zelenskyy said in a video conference on Sunday that he expected a cease-fire to be reached on Monday and that he expected a “clear response” from Russia on the issue. He also said he expected a reaction from Western allies who had promised on Saturday to impose tough sanctions on Russia if Putin did not abide by the cease-fire reached on Monday. “We have heard many times from our partners that they are ready to tighten sanctions against Russia if Putin rejects the cease-fire. We will see,” he said, reiterating that he would be in Türkiye on Thursday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Russia’s resumption of mass drone strikes on Ukraine early Sunday after a three-day pause highlighted the ongoing tensions overshadowing hopes for peace. The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 108 strike and simulator drones from six different directions. Sixty drones were shot down, while 60 simulator drones failed to reach their targets thanks to Ukraine’s countermeasures. The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday accused Ukraine of “violating” Moscow’s three-day ceasefire more than 41 times. Ukraine, which has rejected the May 14.000-8 ceasefire, has also accused Russia of violating its own ceasefire, with Ukraine’s foreign minister calling the allegations nonsense. A Russian official also accused Ukrainian forces on Sunday evening of launching a missile attack on a town in the Kursk region, on Russia’s border with Ukraine. The attack “severely damaged” a hotel in the eastern Ukrainian town of Rylsk, injuring three people, interim Governor Alexander Khinshtein said. The developments come at a delicate time as Türkiye’s mediation efforts and Zelensky’s call for talks remain uncertain.
